I write things here that interest or amuse me, and that I think are worth sharing. They might be topical, or 'cold case', educational or trivial; the only rule is that they will have something to do with genealogy. You can contact me at thefamilyrecorder@rocketmail.com

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Sunday, 6 March 2011

Rootstech - the 'gamification' of genealogy

Over dinner one night during Rootstech, my companions and I were discussing the path that family history might take in the light of new developments in technology. Someone wondered if there was a way of finding a genealogical application for those Facebook games that seem so popular and so addictive.

The very next day as I was walking through the Expo Hall, I saw the familiar figure of Paul Allen (World Vital Records and Familylink) in the Demo area, announcing the launch of that very thing! In conjunction with Funium, the game of Family Village is now available on Facebook. It has a similar look and feel to games like Farmville, Cityville and so on.

I have to confess that I have no idea how these games work, but they are undeniably popular, and people get very absorbed in them. It will be interesting to see if this one takes off. I am definitely intrigued by the possibilities. Genealogy has made itself at home on TV, radio and online, so why not the world of gaming?

About Me

I've been tracing the history of my own family and other people's for over 20 years. It started as a hobby, but I liked it so much it became my job. Following several years of freelancing I have worked for The National Archives (UK) since 2002, currently as Records Specialist - Family History.